Help! "Shape Neck" has me stumped!

[suzb80]

I am knitting my first sweater and this has me totally stumped. I am stuck on the neckline for the back of the sweater. What seems most puzzling to me is the number of stitches I am supposed to bind off when the pattern says, “bind off center 32(32-31-31-32-32) sts, k to end”. It would seem that I am to bind off 31 sts?? That can’t be right?

I would really appreciate any help someone could provide in translating.

There are currently 61 sts on my needles.

Mark center 32(32-31-31-32-32) sts for neck.
Shape Neck: Next Row (RS): K to marker, join another hank of yarn and bind off center 32(32-31-31-32-32) sts, k to end. Working both sides at once, bind off 3 sts at each neck edge once, then 2 sts once. AT THE SAME TIME, when armholes measure 71/2(71/2-8-81/2-9-9)”, end on WS. Bind off 2(2-4-5-5-5) sts at each armhole edge once, then 3(3-3-4-5-6) sts twice for shoulders.

Thanks!!

[suzeeq]

Knit 15 sts, BO 31, knit the rest of the sts, which with the leftover loop from the bind off will also have 15 sts. You need to start the BO with another strand of yarn, either from another skein or the other end of the one you did the first shoulder with.

At the end of the knit row where you bound off, turn and purl back, dropping the one yarn when you get to the neck back, pick up the other end and BO 3 sts then finish the row. Turn and knit to the neck, drop the yarn, pick up the other one and BO 3 sts and knit the rest. On the next WS row, do the same, except you BO 2 sts when you get to that shoulder, and also on the RS row after that. When your armhole measures 8 or 8½" BO at the outer edge at the beginning of the rows.

[suzb80]

Thanks so very much!!

I just realized that when the pattern said to "Mark center 32(32-31-31-32-32)", it meant to mark that number of stitches off, not just "mark the center". eesh...thank goodness for this forum!!

...being a beginner is fun and very challenging ;-)

[suzeeq]

Oh! Yes, it meant to mark off those sts so when you knit to the marker you'll know where to start binding off. A lot of words can be overlooked when reading patterns, you're not the first to do so.